CLEVELAND — Today's VERIFY is for people who drink Celsius energy drinks, which contain a version of vitamin b12 called cyanocobalamin.
In a video shared on TikTok, 10X Health System founder Gary Brecka is shown saying, "Have you heard of a Celsius energy drink? Celsius has four times the amount of cyanide that a human being is meant to ingest."
He also claims, "These facilities that actually compound this B12, they don’t even pay for the hydrogen cyanide. You know where they get it? Human sewage treatment plants. It is the waste from a human sewage treatment plant. It's called sludge. It's foamy yellow sludge. They scrape it off the top, turn it into a powder, ship it to a facility, synthesize it with a metal, and put it in your vitamins."
Sources
Our sources for fact-checking this video are:
- Case Western Reserve University chemistry professor Matt Bertin
- U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
- Food and Drug Administration
- Celsius
- Gary Brecka, the man who made these claims himself
Claim 1
Today, we're VERIFYING two things from this video. First, we check the claim that there is an unsafe amount of cyanide in Celsius energy drinks.
Explanation
We reached out to the FDA, showed them the video referenced above and asked about the cyanide claim. An FDA official told us, "The FDA is not aware of any information supporting the claim that Celsius energy drinks have hydrogen cyanide. They are referencing using the cyanocobalamin form of vitamin B12."
Gary Brecka, the man who made the cyanide claim, told us himself:
"This was a mis-quote and is not accurate. These videos have subsequently been taken down voluntarily as a result of this statement not being accurate. While they may still be in the public media, I have removed all of them from any social media platform under my control and have asked that others do the same as the videos are properly protected."
Answer
So we can VERIFY that Brecka's claim that Celsius energy drinks contain an unsafe amount of cyanide is false.
Claim 2
Second, we look at the claim that vitamin B12 in Celsius is made from sludge at human sewage treatment plants.
Explanation
A U.S. patent from 1953 protects the process of preparing B12 from sewage sludge, but Case Western Reserve University professor Matt Bertin explained it to us, "In the patent that I have read, [it's] intended for animal feed, not for human consumption."
Brecka also told us, "This is not verified with regard to Celsius. Again, a reason for the voluntary removal of these videos and they should no longer be accessible online or on social media."
The Celsius website directly addresses Brecka's claim, saying, "Cyanocobalamin is not made from hydrogen cyanide or anything else unsavory" and that "it is made using the same bacteria that makes vitamin B12 in animals."
Answer
So we can VERIFY that B12 in Celsius energy drinks is not made from sludge at human sewage treatment plants.
Additional information
The FDA has approved the version of vitamin B12 called cyanocobalamin, which is found in Celsius energy drinks, as completely safe.
If you come across something that you're unsure about being true or false, you can send it to us to VERIFY by emailing us at verify@wkyc.com, or texting us at (216) 344-3300.
